Entertainment

The spread of coronavirus Covid-19 in the Netherlands is starting to mess with the preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest, set to be held in Rotterdam in May. At least three more people in the Netherlands tested positive for the virus on Thursday. Reports on social media indicate that at least three of the 900 Vindicat students currently skiing in northern Italy have been infected with the virus, but according to the Groningen student association, this is "fake news".

The Dutch music industry recorded its best growth in revenue over the last five years with a 13.2 percent increase in 2019. The industry took in more than 206.8 million euros last year, with over 78 percent due to streaming services.

Revenue from streaming sources equaled 161.7 million euros, a 23-percent gain on a year earlier. Over 12 percent of revenue was earned from CD and DVD sales, which fell nearly 16 percent to 25.2 million euros. Vinyl sales were relatively flat at 15.4 million euros, with downloads dropping over 21 percent to a bit over 4 million euros.

The celebration of Ajax winning the Eredivisie cup on the Museumplein in Amsterdam last May was twice nearly halted as the crowd came close to exceeding the vibration protocol - the measures in place to prevent the soil under the square moving and resulting damage to surrounding homes and museums, Het Parool reports.

Wherever Perry Michael Allen goes, music always follows. His six-decade career in the music industry is filled with experiences from being connected to the best and brightest soul and R&B musicians ever to grace the charts, and the brilliant backing musicians that helped them become world famous.

Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers posted a video on Instagram showing himself taking part in a live group karaoke session with actress and wife Sophie Turner in an Amsterdam pub. The duo were in town as the Jonas Brothers performed in the city's Ziggo Dome on Thursday night.

The pair were singing along to the song "Amsterdam", the Dutch entry in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest. It was made famous by singer Maggie MacNeal, who performed the tune during the Contest, which was held in The Hague that year. She placed fifth out of 19.

A windy Thursday morning is set to turn into a very blustery afternoon and evening, with meteorological institute KNMI issuing a Code Yellow warning covering the entire country. The strong winds are expected to continue off-and-on throughout the weekend - the third consecutive stormy weekend for the Netherlands as storms Ellen and Francis are looming.

King Willem-Alexander and his family will be entertained with a "surprising and versatile" program that showcases the "colorful region and culture" when they visit Maastricht for King's Day on April 27th. The theme of the King's birthday celebration will be Leef Maastricht!, the Telegraaf reports.

Broadcaster NTR sparked massive controversy with the latest episode of NPO program Danny op Straat. In the episode, program maker Danny Ghosen spoke to a pro-pedophilia activist only identified as Nelson. He wants to set up a political party to make sex with children legal, AD reports.

The city council of Amsterdam on Thursday approved plans to announce a general ban on fireworks before the end of the year, making the capital the second large Dutch city to completely ban consumers from lighting fireworks after Rotterdam. The motion by animal party PvdD was supported by the entire city council except for the CDA and FvD, NU.nl reports.

Organized tours through Amsterdam's famous Red Light District will be prohibited as of April 1, the city announced in a statement on Thursday. The ban on commercial tour groups of was also expanded to cover other areas where window-base sex work is permitted, including the area around the Spuistraat in the city center, and along Ruysdaelkade in Amsterdam Zuid.

Nikkie de Jager, known worldwide by her YouTube name NikkieTutorials, will be the fourth presenter of the Eurovision Song Contest, in addition to the already announced Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit. The 25-year-old YouTube star will be the "online host" - she will report about the event online, record a YouTube series with the artists, and will be on television at the semi-finals and final in Rotterdam in May, NOS repots.

The Netherlands' viewers' guide Kijkwijzer will also apply to YouTube videos from September, according to a new law that will take effect then. The Kijkwijzer will warn if a video contains sex, violence, drug use or the like, in order to better protect children against unwanted content. Those who do not cooperate with the Kijkwijzer, can expect a hefty fine, Minister Arie Slob for Primary and Secondary Education said, RTL Nieuws reports.

Singer Roxanne Hazes, rapper Snelle & de Lieve Jongens band, DJs Lucas & Steve, and DJ-trio Kriss Kross Amsterdam will be this year's Ambassadors of Freedom for Liberation Day, the National Committee 4 and 5 May announced on Friday.

They will perform at 14 Liberation Day Festivals on May 5th, flying from festival to festival with Defense helicopters, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Netherlands' liberation after the Second World War.

103 decibels - the maximum noise level allowed at events and concerts in the Netherlands - will still cause hearing damage if attendees do not wear earplugs, Nieuwsuur reports. The Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports confirmed to the program that it was assumed attendees would be wearing hearing protection when the maximum noise level of 103 dB was set, but this is not mentioned in the campaign about hearing protection titled I love my ears, Nieuwsuur said.

Utrecht teen Stefania Liberakakis will be representing Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam later this year. Greek broadcaster ERT announced that the 17-year-old Dutch-Greek girl will be in the second semifinal with the song Supergirl.

"I am completely flabbergasted," Stefania said to NOS. "I have received so many sweet messages. I didn't sleep until 4:00 o'clock last night because I was shaking."

The Dutch flower and fruit parades and the Rotterdam Summer Carnival were nominated to be added to the International Intangible Heritage List of world heritage organization UNESCO. Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven of Culture nominated these events because they "reflect the cultural diversity of the Netherlands, connect people and lend a sense of identity".

The purpose of the UNESCO list is to protect and value customs, rituals, events, and crafts.

Dutch musician Andre Rieu is currently number one on the iTunes and Amazon hit lists in the United Kingdom with his Ode to Joy. UK residents are massively buying and streaming the song to protest against the Brexit, scheduled to happen on Friday, NU.nl reports.

Police in Amsterdam said they found 30 mobile phones stuffed inside a pair of cycling shorts being worn by a pickpocketing suspect at the time they detained him. Authorities took the 34-year-old man from Romania into custody when they made the discovery on January 21.

It happened during a performance in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, after several "reports of pickpocketing came in during the concert," police said. "Some victims could also provide a description."

All exits to the venue were sealed off, and a suspect fitting the description was spotted by police.

The Dutch Metropole Orchestra won a Grammy Award for the song All Night Long, made in collaboration with Jacob Collier. They won in the category "best arrangement". Collier received the award along with Metropole chief conductor Jules Buckley, RTL Nieuws reports.

Jan Geert Vierkant, director of the Metropole Orchestra, is delighted. "It is a recognition of the impact that we have internationally and a confirmation of our position s a global ambassador for the Dutch cultural sector," he said to the broadcaster.

Dutch music is still going strong as an export product. In 2018, a total of 216 million euros were made by exporting music abroad, up from 201 million the year before, according to figures from Buma Cultuur, which annually charts the export value of Dutch music, NOS reports.

The amount of 216 million euros comes from 174 million euros from performances abroad, 29 million euros from rights, and 13 million euros from recordings. Buma Cultuur investigated 1,319 artists. 963 of them were active abroad, in 82 countries.

Dutch YouTube star NikkieTutorials came out as transgender in a video posted on Monday. She said that she always wanted to share her story, but under her own circumstances, and she did not expect to do so this week. But people have been blackmailing her and threatening to leak her story in the press, she said, calling their actions "vile" and "gross".

Dutch makeup artist Arjen Tuiten is again nominated for an Oscar, this time for his work on fairy-tale film Maleficent: Mistress of evil with Angelina Jolie. Animated short Mind My Mind by Dutch animator and film director Floor Adams, which was shortlisted for an Oscar, did not make the cut.

Producer and actor Aart Staartjes died at the age of 81 from injuries he sustained in a car accident in Leeuwarden on Friday. Staartjes was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The police are investigating the causes of the accident, NOS reports.